Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Bucklin wrote the video shows a staff . His grandparents sent him to a mental hospital, then to Agap. In recent months, Clemensen has become the face of the controversy a fearless leader doing Gods work to those fighting to save his school, a sadistic villain to those who aim to close it. The way Bryan tells it, in the 1970s, Kathy was a single mom whod found Jesus but still had a mischievous streak. Jim and Kathy Clemensen a married couple whom people call Brother Clemensen and Maam started Agap in the early 1990s. but has gone public in the past year with his . The campus is also home to Agape Baptist Church. In addition to the fired staffer, DSS has substantiated findings of child abuse or neglect against Bryan Clemensen and two other Agap employees, according to The Kansas City Star. W hen Andrew Breshears arrived at the Agap Boarding School in 2018, he was a sandy-haired 12-year-old who weighed less than 100 . Im trying to aim for a decent life, you know what Im saying? ON SEPT. 7, 2022, ATTORNEY GENERAL SCHMITT and the State Department of Social Services (DSS) filed to close Agap. . Court records show that David Earl Smock is wanted for assaulting children under 15 at the Agape Boarding School, a Christian private school in Greene County. But under state law at the time, the schools didnt have to tell the government they existed, and it took years of complaints before child welfare officials shut down their operations in 2015, and prosecutors charged the owners and a counselor at the facilities with aggravated child abuse. Tripadvisor names the world's top 25 beaches, three in the U.S. CDC warns drug-resistant stomach bug a "serious public health threat". Missouri previously had virtually no oversight for religious boarding schools. They also look at records from any incidents in which a child is injured or restrained. Then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office contended that 22 workers should have been charged, and with more serious crimes. In civil suits, Agap students describe being choked with rebar and electrical cords, pushed through drywall, having their noses broken, and hit in the testicles hard enough to cause traumatic groin injury. They say several boys attempted to hang themselves, in what they call a pandemic among students. Agap, through its attorney, denies the allegations, and says that no student there has ever killed himself. I am proof that money doesnt protect against abuse, Hilton told state legislators, speaking in support of a bill that would better protect children in troubled-youth treatment programs. Robert Larsson, 89, a preacher and the founder of Pinehaven, gave folksy presentations about how his school improved the lives of children, who spent their days at the ranch wrangling calves, shoveling manure and learning Bible verses. They insisted everyone call them Brother Jim and Maam, and their son Brother Bryan.. DSS added . None of these raised eyebrows until former Agap staffers Boyd and Stephanie Householder opened Circle of Hope Girls Ranch. Students called it the Padded Palace., Punishments allegedly ranged from calisthenics to wall time, where kids stood with their foreheads and noses touching the wall, except when sleeping, doing schoolwork, or eating. They noted that DSS had confirmed a case of child abuse and added the name of the Agap staffer responsible to the Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry, prohibiting him from working at a residential facility. They allowed it to happen.. That's no secret, as news stories in The Christian. In May 2021, the law requiring religious schools to register with the state passed. TOUGH-LOVE SCHOOLS CAN BE traced back to the 1950s, when a secular group called Synanon pioneered an approach to curing heroin addiction with isolation, humiliation, and sleep deprivation. But Breshears got a rude welcome. Lucas Francis, 19, said he regularly witnessed staff members slam boys into walls and onto the ground when he attended Agap from 2017 to 2020. Since Circle of Hope opened in 2006, at least 15 people said they reported abuse at the ranch to at least six local, state and federal agencies in Missouri, an NBC News investigation found, based . Published: Mar. At a hearing in the Missouri Legislature on Wednesday, a department official said it has been difficult to substantiate abuse allegations at religious boarding schools due to "a culture of restricted access.". Seth Duncan was charged with five counts of third . 24, 2021 at 10:23 AM PDT | Updated: Mar. For many survivors of Agap, that would be tough to accept. Circle of Hope closed in 2020, and its owners, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, face 101 felony charges, including statutory rape, abuse and neglect of a child. On the wooded roads near Agap, Amish men drive horse-drawn buggies; hundreds of members of the polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints live on a nearby compound called the Ranch., I got picked up by the Cedar County Sheriffs Department, and I tried to tell the guy, Theyre beating us,, says one former student. 60% of the children in our county are being placed outside of our county due to the lack of foster homes in our community. For example, when many foster children age out of the system, they have lived in an average of 12 foster homes. Within a few months, he says, three students ran away. To report a correction or typo, please email digitalnews@ky3.com, State of Missouri investigating Agape Ranch and Boarding School near Stockton, Deputy seriously hurt in crash with driver opening beer, Greene County prosecutor files charges against man accused of crashing truck into a house. Church was on Wednesday and three times on Sunday. Its education and human services departments do not license religious schools, or any private boarding schools, and child protective services does not have the authority to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect at them; instead, they must refer those reports to law enforcement. The report found those leaders had chronically mistreated survivors of abuse and spent decades trying to deny responsibility for abuse at individual . Thank you for your generous support [] "Pinehaven has had challenges over the years, but so has everyone," Montana Family Foundation President Jeff Laszloffy said at a 2019 hearing. Agap, which according to its parent handbook costs $39,000 a year, is also influenced by Lester Roloff, a radio evangelist and pastor who founded schools for teenage girls in the late 1960s that relied on physical abuse and immersion in biblical teachings to reform them. More than 60% of the children in our county are being placed outside of our county due to the lack of foster homes in our community. It has not come up for a vote yet, but key Republicans in the Legislature have already signaled support. . At least two other states Montana and Arkansas carve out licensing exemptions for religious facilities. Agape's doctor is charged with child sex crimes and five employees are accused of assault, though Missouri's attorney general thinks many more workers should have been charged.. Pinehaven did not respond to a request for comment. More than a dozen people reported abuse at a religious boarding school in rural Missouri before the owners' daughter launched a campaign that got action. It was a video secretly recorded at nearby Circle of Hope Ranch that finally moved state authorities to get involved. One former student reportedly mentioned Agap in a suicide note. For the first time, religious schools would be required to register with the state and undergo inspections; the attorney general would now have authority to close down facilities that posed a threat to students. Closing Agap wouldnt be so easy, but throughout 2021 and 2022, the lawsuits began. Once they were done, staff members took away Schrags clothes and bedding, he said, and made him wear only a bathrobe and his boxers for two months. He says he and others suffered frequent physical abuse, at the hands of at least a dozen staff members, and others didnt stop it. The school is a nonprofit owned by the Agap Baptist Church, which was also started by the Clemensens. Advocates are watching the Agap case, and suggest it illustrates why federal legislation is needed. STOCKTON, Mo. Amanda Householder is suing her parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, owners of Circle of Hope Girls Ranch and Boarding School. After the state removed students from the school in August, Circle of Hope voluntarily . By 14, Breshears says, he was fully in staffers crosshairs. The video follows numerous allegations of abuse against Agape, a Christian reform school for boys, which until a new law in 2021, had virtually no state oversight due to its faith-based status. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time STOCKTON, Mo. Home to a population of 1,600, it has a tiny main square, the worlds largest processor of eastern black walnuts, and 21 churches. When I first got there, I just stayed on the low, trying to do my best, hoping to get out, he says. Lawmakers held hearings and introduced a bill that would give the state some oversight. According to AG Schmitts office, the Cedar County Sheriffs Department employs at least three people who used to work at Agap. He is living in California with his mother, Jennifer, and attending a public high school. Schrag says the verbal abuse was constant. To him, it seemed arbitrary and needlessly brutal. One former student, Colton Schrag, claims he was beat up and slammed into walls during his four years at Agape. It won't be long here in Missouri, he said. One morning, he overheard one of the Clemensen daughters asking for help with a math problem, to which Bindley shot back a smartass remark. Agape bills itself as a 30-year-old Christian outfit that "has helped thousands of troubled teens" in part "by showing God's love daily to these boys." But those who identify as abuse survivors . I'm not trying to reach for the moon on this stuff, said Richard Fiene, a research psychologist who spent decades directing public welfare and child services agencies in Pennsylvania, but Id like to see kids in safe environments where they cant be restrained and someone can't put a knee in their back and hold them to the floor where they can't breathe. The BBC was given access to their UK boot camp, where they learn how to teach Mormon beliefs and use social media to reach potential converts. New court filings reveal some of the most brutal allegations of abuse at Agape Boarding School so far, including former students' account that two staffers sexually assaulted him. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. But he would soon come to suffer horrifying abuse, he says experiences in line with what at least 18 former Agap students have recently alleged in lawsuits. And that's what it's all about.. Askins reached out to Child Protective Services and then shared the video with the Householders estranged daughter, Amanda. There wasnt really any training, said James Clidence, a pastor who worked as a teacher at Agap from 2012 to 2015. One student said staffers had branded him with a cross. Schrags adoptive parents placed him in Agap which takes its name from the ancient Greek word Christians use to describe the love of God for humankind hoping the program would help him deal with anger issues and disobedience. Clemensen said the decision to close "is voluntary and solely due to the lack of financial resources to continue caring for the boys.". The Missouri AG launched a joint investigation with Cedar County authorities. State regulates church boarding schools after abuse allegations. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Clemensen said that the abuse allegations are lies, and suggests they are inspired by the political ambitions of State Attorney General Eric Schmitt who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November and a small group of disgruntled former students hoping for a big payday. What they are claiming would never be OK, he says. Many other states, such as New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas, do not require religious boarding schools to be licensed by education or child welfare authorities because they are privately owned or privately funded. Editors Note: This story, which appears in the January 2023 issue of Rolling Stone, has been updated to include additional details on court cases that had not been decided until after the print deadline. Each worker is facing abuse charges. We want to hear it. Surprise! Hymns blared in the classrooms. It is a matter of time before youth aging out of the foster care system fall prey to the statistics. An investigation by NBC News and Dateline found that multiple states have similar gaps in the oversight of religious boarding schools, leaving children vulnerable to abuse. Its just a very scary place to be, Bradney said. They have law-enforcement ties, too. Allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Agape and Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch prompted a state law in 2021 requiring stricter oversight of such facilities. The school has been operating in Missouri where until 2021, privately owned schools were not required to report to the state. The program markets itself as a Christian school that turns around rebellious boys. Schrags parents said they were unaware of any abuse occurring at the facility; the school had promised close supervision and to redirect his anger in positive ways. The stories of abuse told through reports by NBC News, the Kansas City Star and others prompted Missouri lawmakers to hold hearings and propose legislation last month to ramp up state oversight. Christian Reform School Accused of Abuse Shuts Down After Rolling Stone Expos. That meant calling out and even disciplining classmates for infractions like cursing, talking in line, refusing to pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, or talking about their pasts. Munton allowed the school to remain open, with state supervision.Allegations of physical and sexual abuse at Agape and nearby Christian boarding school Circle of Hope Girls' Ranch prompted a . The AG was on board. Schrag says he tried to escape around 2007, when he was 15. Bryan Clemensen stops a tour of the group home to pet Sally, the ranchs beloved camel. The site, designed as a Christian camp, had cabins, a shower facility, a mess hall, and a small chapel. Breshears spotted a baseball bat poking out of an equipment bag. The Thrive program will provide housing and mentorship for young adults during their college or trade school career. (As of publication, one defendants case was dismissed, three pleaded guilty to misdemeanors, and one is awaiting a hearing this month.) Clemensen picked the state specifically because of its lack of regulation, he told a reporter in 2002, and said the school would leave Missouri if required to get a license. NWS confirms EF-1 tornado near Goodman, Mo. By the time Askins contacted her, she had been in therapy for years, and was deeply enmeshed in an online community of former Agap and Circle of Hope survivors. She posted Askins video to TikTok, followed by a second post alleging her parents regularly beat her and had forced a student to eat until they threw up, then eat their own vomit. Mow Grass and Maintain Landscaping. "If you're using the Bible or God to justify any of these things, that is sacrilegious.". Those details were outlined in motions filed in 19 civil lawsuits requesting that the Cedar County judge overseeing those cases allow . The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time If I can save one kid, its worth it to me.. Soon theyd be in a place where they were untouchable. Agape Ranch is a thriving faith-based non-profit offering a forward-thinking and compassionate community-based solution to the foster care crisis facing America today. For secular youth facilities regulated by Missouris social services department, as well as those that have contracts with the state, social welfare agents conduct inspections at least twice a year to review staff training, check compliance with fire and health codes, and make sure employees have background checks and that children get proper medical attention. MANY OF THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST Agap staffers are easily found on podcasts and interviews on YouTube. January 11, 2023 / 6:04 PM Anne Stych June 27, 2022. Agape Boys Ranch Entrance. Locals says the Clemensens ingratiated themselves by offering tours, and hosting Boy Scout breakfasts and luncheons for the local Methodist group. Boyd and Stephanie Householder are facing more than 100 charges of sexual, physical and emotional abuse that allegedly took place at their faith-based boarding school in Missouri. One day after the FBI announced the arrest of a former Agape Boarding School dean, a civil right's . In September 2021, he charged five Agap staff members with a total of 13 counts of third-degree assault, the lowest degree of felony. In 1992, the Clemensens announced to their troubled wards that they were moving to a promised land of sorts: an old Air Force base six miles outside of tiny Othello, Washington. I for sure think it would be harder to bring charges, because then your standard of proof is going to be higher, said Daniel Pollack, a social work professor at Yeshiva University. At the time of reporting, he is not yet in police custody, and an arrest warrant has been issued in his name. But then, Breshears made friends and began to reconsider his allegiances particularly, he says, after he witnessed classmates getting restrained. The state of Missouri has opened a criminal investigation into allegations of abuse and neglect at Agap Boarding School, a Christian institution in the rural southwestern part of the state, a spokesman for the state's Highway Patrol confirmed Friday. Officials . I hired Agape to cut the lawn. Roloff was perhaps best known for starting boarding homes in the 1960s to reform youth he described as parent-hating, Satan-worshipping, dope-taking immoral boys and girls, utilizing corporal punishment and isolation for children who disobeyed. Amanda, then 29, says her parents kicked her out when she was 17. It also lays out a set of childrens rights, banning corporal punishment and verbal and emotional abuse, and giving youth the ability to call their parents whenever they want. These courses are core requirements for Florida . But under Missouri law, it was up to Cedar County prosecutor Ty Gaither to file charges. Thanks to the generosity of others, Agape Ranch will now be able to provide housing and mentorship for foster youth who age-out while they pursue higher education or career training. The criminal division of the EPA investigated and charged Jim Clemensen for improperly disposing of hazardous material. Among other things, the new state law allows state or local authorities to petition the court for closure of a facility if children's safety or health are believed to be in immediate danger. He would later set up a transport business to collect teens, hiring off-duty deputies to help him. None of these inspections are required at religious boarding schools. James Clemensen founded the Agap Boarding School in the early 1990s. He lost his red shirt and became familiar with the one place no student wanted to end up: Brown Town. That status, characterized by the brown shirt a student was forced to wear, according to lawsuits and depositions, came with extreme workouts, the loss of talking privileges, and a restricted meal plan that often consisted of a slice of bread and peanut butter, or a tortilla with a scoop of cold refried beans. Lawmakers proposed legislation to provide oversight for faith-based boarding schools in Missouri. Former Calallen ISD teacher Joseph Sandoval sentenced to 35 years in prison for sexual abuse . The Kansas City Star reported that the Householders deny all allegations . In 1996, Agap moved to a 200-acre ranch in Cedar County, Missouri. We want to make it about the children's rights rather than taking away religious rights. THORNTON, Colo. Agape Bible Church canceled all church services last weekend after a FOX31 Problem Solvers investigation into whether its head pastor tried to cover up an alleged sexual abuse . It appeared to be a vast improvement over his previous digs. 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